The County Council has failed to respond to my letter (13th October) asking what action they intend to take regarding Grundon's comprehensive failure to restore Wicklesham Quarry by 30th September. Following a visit to the Quarry on 4th October, County Council officers admitted:- "There has been no attempt to cut down and distribute any of the soils stockpiles or bunds of indigenous material, nor the removal of buildings etc., nor the planting of hedges or areas of trees and shrubs”; * “The two protected areas to be maintained as ponds are still in place though one has been potentially damaged” ; * “The northern bund is now heavily wooded and effectively screens the development from the A420 and the high southern bund between the boundary security fence, screening the public footpath from and the batter dropping to the quarry floor. These bunds were to have been removed by the 30th September, this year and so a breach of condition has occurred” * "all the buildings and hardstanding are still in place” ; * “up to 2,000 loads of soil are due to have been brought onto the site, but a rough assessment of the heaps present implies that only 10% of the amount due has been imported. Permission to import soils has now ceased.” There can be no doubt that Grundon's failure to restore Wicklesham Quarry for the past 6 years- even when ORDERED to by the County Council - is directly linked to the landowner's frustrated campaign since 2008 to develop the quarry for industrial use, through the Local Plan. The minutes of a 2014 Neighbourhood Plan Wicklesham Quarry 'Stakeholder's Meeting' record the statement that "it would be ridiculous to go to the expense of restoring the site, only for it to be ripped up for employment building purposes". These "stakeholders" are also members of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group. In response to the outline of my legal challenge, the Vale Council claims that the quarry's restoration and 5 year aftercare plan were never in doubt! What is intended is that once restoration and aftercare have been carried out and the Quarry is restored to agricultural land - THEN they will allow the landowner to “rip it up” and turn into an industrial estate! The landowner’s 2009 “Justification” states industrial use would involve building up the quarry floor "to a height and with material deemed suitable for its use as an industrial development"; ensuring the quarry is "adequately drained"; and filling in "the pond at the western end of the quarry". No wonder the owners think restoring the quarry would be a waste of money! It is quite clear that industrial development would permanently destroy the work involved in restoration, together with the special characteristics that make Wicklesham Quarry SSSI a Conservation Target Area and one of Britain's "richest palaeontological locations". In the past week, I witnessed a fleet of tipper lorries emerging from Wicklesham Quarry. Their presence in the quarry is unlicensed and therefore illegal. I have written YET AGAIN to Acting Director for Environment and Economy, Bev Hindle asking him what on earth is going on! It doesn't take much imagination to work it out. Now, the landowner has been tipped off that the longer he drags his feet trying to avoid "the expense" of restoring the quarry, the longer he will have to wait before he can "rip it up" again! This crazy and quite outrageous situation should be a source of deep shame to everyone who has colluded, encouraged, or turned a blind eye to the wilful neglect of this unique and important site, the deliberate flouting of planning conditions over 6 years, and now, to this final illegal and hypocritical gesture towards ‘restoring’ the quarry, in order to build on it. Local people are gravely concerned that this shameful fiasco will result in further damage to the Quarry's special characteristics and vulnerable biodiversity. If, like me, you think our local MP, Ed Vaizey, should have taken an active interest in all this a long time ago, PLEASE CONTACT HIM TO LET HIM KNOW! This is a scandalous abuse of the planning system and a travesty of environmental protection for a nationally designated site. So far he has shown no interest in my emails and letter to him concerning the environmental protection of this important site over the past two years. I would encourage all supporters of the Campaign to Protect Wicklesham Quarry to let Ed Vaizey know your views. His email address is: dicksonce@parliament.uk, or you can write to him at: Ed Vaizey MP Office, Vale and Downland Museum, Church Street, Wantage OX12 8BL. The more people hear about Wicklesham Quarry, the more they want to help to protect it! The CrowdJustice Appeal remains open until 8th November! Please help to spread the word by adding the Appeal link to your emails and f/b page. https://www.crowdjustice.org/case/sssi-and-conservationtarget-area Thank you for your continued support! Please get in touch any time at protectwicklesham@gmail.com.